Blockbuster store in Sarasota closing

The Blockbuster store on 17th Street in Sarasota will close its doors for good next month.

The video and game rental store at 3251 17th St., will close on March 24, staff confirmed. The store is closing along with 300 others nationwide. Dish Network Corp., the company that acquired the long-struggling Blockbuster chain in 2011, announced in January it would leave just 500 Blockbuster stores open in the U.S.

After the 17th street Blockbuster closure, only the Blockbuster video store at 4216 Bee Ridge Road, will remain open in the Sarasota area.

Going out of business sales have started at the closing store. All videos are offered for sale at $7.99 or less this week.

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Photo by Eric Blackburn, Herald-Tribune staff.

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